Apparatus for loading ordnance.



Y Patented July I5, |902. R. T. BRANKSTON. APPARATUS FOB LOADING ORDNANCE.

, (Application tiled Jan. 25, 1902.) v

(Ho Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

0i @q M m No. 704,955. Patented July |5, |902. R. T. BRANKSTUN. APPARATUS FDR LADING OBDNANCE.

(Application filed Jan. 25, 1902.)

(No Model.)

. 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH THEW BRANKSTON, or NnwoAs'rI-.nUPoN-TYNR, ENGLAND, As! SIGNOR To w. G. ARMSTRONG, wHrrwoR'rH .t COMPANY, LIMITEDQ on NEWOAs'rLE-UPON-UNET,-y RNGLAND.

APPARA'rusFoR; LOADING ORDNANOE..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letter@ Patent NO. 704,955, dated July 15, 1902.

Application filed January 25 l. Serial No. 91,233. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH THEW BRANK- sTON, engineer, a subject of the King of Greatf Britain, residing at Elswick Works, Newcasa 5 tle-upon-Tyne, England, have invented cer' tain new and useful Apparatus for Loading? Ordnance, of which the following is a specication. l

According to this invention a short-'stroke 'tb cylinder is fixed to 'the loading-tray, which is preferably of the revolving type. This cylinder is supplied with air or other gas from a high-pressure reservoir through a reducingvalve, or it may be from a small metalcylint g der of suilicient capacity only to send one projectile home or with 'gas' produced by a charge of an explosive. The piston in this cylinder imparts to the projectile sulcient velocity to send it home without the aid of a rammer. 2o Figure 1 is a plan, and Fig. 2 a side`A elevation, of a loading apparatus constructed according to this invention. Fig. 3 is a central vertical longitudinal section, and Fig. 4 is an elevation of a detail.

a is the loading-tray, free to revolve on the vertical spindle b', fixed to the arm b, whose pivot is free to revolve in bearings carried by a bracket c, fixed to the rear end of the gun.

b is a worm-wheel fixed to the arm Z1, and c is 'a bevel-Wheel lixed to the bracket c.

bs is a shaft supported in bearings on the arm b and having at its ends bevel-pinions b4 b5, gearing, respectively, with the wheel cand the wheel a', fixed to the under side of the tray a.-

d is a worm fixed to av shaft d', which is turned by the hand-Wheel d.

As the arml b revolves the pinion b4 rolls on the wheel o', and thus turns the tray relatively to the arm in such manner that the tray always moves parallel to itself. This method of working ythe loading-tray is well known, and no claim is made to it.

e is a cylinder. ixed to the vtray a and having within' it a piston e', whiclnhas a head es, whose rod e acts as a rammer.

e4 is a spring tending to return the piston e.

f is a pipe by which air is admitted from the air-reservoir f to the reducing-valve f2, 52o Which stops the supply as soon as the pressure in the cylinder ehas arrived at the presi sure considered necessary, the air in the cyl-l inder is then pressing against the piston e', which is kept.air,tight by means of a cup' leather or packing.

When it is desired to send a projectile into the gun, a lever g is pushed downward, drawing out a catch-pin g' and releasing the piston-head. The air then acts on the pistone'I in the cylinder e and immediately thrusts the projectile 7i into the gun. As soon as the pis- 1 ton commences movement the inlet-valve f2 closes, having previously been kept open by the piston. When the piston-head arrives near the end of its stroke, it strikes au inclined plane j' on the lever j and forces-down the lever and opens the exit-valve 7c. This allows the air to escape from the cylinder e,

and the spring e4 then-returns the piston back with considerable velocity. \Near the end of its stroke the piston strikes the spindle of the inlet-valvef2 and opens it; butj ust previously to this the catch-pin g' has been forced into the head of the piston by means of a spring gil acting on the lever g. The piston is therefore prevented from returning until the lever g has been again pressed downQ This lever, however, cannot be pressed down until a claw Z has engaged with a bracket m on the face of the gun and by this means has pressed down a releasing-pin n and withdrawn a locking-pin o out of a hole in a safety-pin g8, pivoted to I the lever g. In this manner the projectile cannot be sent home until' the `claw has seourely fixed the loading-tray to the gun. The lever j when struck downward by the piston on its arrival near the end of its stroke is held down by means of a pawl p, which is acted upon by a spring p', and in this manner the exit-valve k is held open until the pistonhead e returns near the home position, when a pin e4 on the head knocks ont the pawl 104 and allows the exit-valve 7c to close by means of the spring k', attached to it.

l. The combination of a gun a loadingtray pivoted tothe gun, a cylinder carried by the tray, a piston in the cylinder and means for admitting fluid to and allowing it to escape from the cylinder.

2. The combination of aloading-tray, a cylinder carried by the tray, a piston in the cylinder, and admission and exhaust valves operated by the piston.

3. The combination of a loading-tray, a cylinder carried by the tray, a piston in .the cylinder, a spring tending to move the piston in one direction, and means for admitting Huid to and allowing it to escape from the cylinder.

4. The combination of aloading-tray, a cylinder carried by the tray, a p iston in the cylindex', a spring tending to move the piston in one direction, and ad mission and exhaust valves operated by the piston.

5. The combination of a loading-tray, a cylinder carried by the tray, a piston in the cylinder, a spring tending to move the `pistou toward the rear end of the cylinder, admission and exhaustyalves at the rear end of the cylinder, springs tending to close the valves, a stemto the admission-valve projecting into the cylinder in the path of the piston, a stem to the exhaust-valve projecting out of the cylinder, a lever pivoted to the cylinder the rear end of which bears on the stem of the exhaust-valve while. its front end lies in the path of the piston, a second lever pivoted to the cylinder and a bolt carried by the second lever and engaging with the piston When in its rearmost position.

6. The combination of a loading-tray, a cylinder carried by the tray, a piston in the cylinder, means for admitting fluid to and allowing it to escape from the cylinder, a bolt engaging with the piston when' in its rearmost position, mechanism for locking the bolt when in engagement with the piston and means operated by the contact of the tray with the gun for freeing the locking mechanism. v

7. The combination of a loading-tray, acylinder carried by the tray, a piston in the cylinder, a spring tending tomove the piston toward the rear end of the cylinder, admission and exhaust valves at the rear end of the cylinder, springs tending to close the valves, a. stem to the admission-Valve projecting into the cylinder in the lpath of the piston, a stem t0 the exhaust-valve projecting out of the cylinder, alever pivoted to the cylinder the rear end of which bears on the stem ofthe exhaust-valve while its front end lies in the path of the piston, a second lever pivoted to the cylinder, a bolt vcarried by the second lever and engaging with the piston when in its rearmost position, mechanism for locking the bolt When in engagement with the piston and ,means operated by the contact of the tray with the gun for freeing the locking mechan- RALPH TI-IEW BRANKSTON. Witnesses:

T. PURvIs, L. W. WooDs. 

